New Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, was taking questions from the audience about the Senate agenda for the legislative session commencing later this month when he paused after looking at a written inquiry that had been passed to him.

He called newly elected Sen. Deidre Henderson,R-Spanish Fork, to the front to answer the question.

Henderson, one of five women in the 29-member Senate but just one of two in the Republican caucus, was given the question.

As Niederhauser motioned to the other three GOP Senate leaders on the stage  Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund of Monroe; Majority Whip Stuart Adams of Layton; and Assistant Majority Whip Peter Knudson of Brigham City  he asked: "If you were on the 'Dating Game,' which of these gentlemen [including himself] would you choose."

Obviously taken aback, Henderson exclaimed: "That's my question?"

She quickly recovered enough to diplomatically say, "You're all winners."

It seems the Senate still has trouble viewing women as equal lawmakers, perhaps seeing their better role as fixing the cookies, cakes and Jell-O salads for Senate social events or joining the Senate sister wives for Tupperware parties at the Capitol while the men attend to the important business.

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No time to lose • It took newly elected Utah Attorney General John Swallow all of four days after his inauguration to his first term to schedule a fundraiser for a second term.

Swallow was inaugurated Jan. 7. On Jan. 11, he sent out an invitation to lobbyists and other moneybags to "a day of skiing" at Canyons Resort on Feb. 20. The event includes lunch and ski rentals. And donors get it all for a measly $500 contribution to Swallow's campaign fund.

I have a hunch this shakedown of lobbyists and law firms that do business with the attorney general is the first of many to come.

The Records Committee on Thursday heard an appeal from an attorney whose client was arrested for a DUI. The attorney wanted disciplinary information on the trooper who arrested her client, but the Utah Highway Patrol had denied her request.

While the committee heard the arguments, Richardson was busy tweeting:

"Former Utah Gov. candidate Peter Cooke been called to serve as LDS Mission Prez. He will know his destination in March."

"Therein lies the problem â¦ RT@gopTPDD:@DeidreHenderson if it was, I wouldn't know it."

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